My Approach

I am a warm, supportive, non-judgemental and empathetic counsellor and psychotherapist. I provide a safe, confidential and collaborative space to help clients explore, make sense of, and successfully work through the particular issues they are facing.

I see clients for long and short-term counselling and psychotherapy on a wide range of issues including stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems, work challenges, self esteem and confidence issues and many more.

My overall aim is to help you meet your personal objectives for counselling or psychotherapy so that when you finish seeing me you are feeling happier, have more clarity, are more self aware and you are more at ease in your life.

Difference Between Counselling and Psychotherapy

When considering therapy people often wonder about the difference between counselling and psychotherapy, and which is likely to be right for them and the issues they are facing. There is no single, definitive explanation for this, however I would say that counselling often involves looking at a specific identifiable issue that can possibly be worked on in a shorter period of time, whilst psychotherapy can involve exploring more complex challenges or problems, often at a deeper level and for a bit longer.

However, if you come to see me you don't need to worry about which of the two is right for you as I am both a Qualified Counsellor and Psychotherapist. When working with clients I adapt my approach and the depth/length of the work to fit with each individual client and their needs at that time. This can vary depending on the issues you bring to therapy, what you feel ready and able to work on and what else is going on in your life.

What it Means to be an Integrative Therapist

I am an experienced, Masters degree qualified, integrative counsellor and psychotherapist. My integrative training means I am skilled in working with and incorporating a number of therapeutic approaches and styles of counselling and psychotherapy in the work that I do with clients. As a result, I am able to tailor my way of working to suit you and your needs as an individual, rather than being prescriptive. I feel this is an important aspect of the work I do, as one singular type of therapy or approach isn't necessarily going to suit everyone.

Additionally, my approach is integrative not only in terms of the different therapeutic traditions I draw on and incorporate, but also in the way that I think about therapy and the role that it can play to facilitate change in peoples lives. In addition to dealing with and working through immediate and pressing issues and concerns (which is what brings most of my clients to therapy), I feel therapy has the potential to help us explore and integrate all aspects of the self including our emotions, thoughts and behaviour. As a result, I work with some clients in this broader, more holistic way if that is what interests them and feels relevant for them.

Above all though, I tailor my approach to each of my clients and what best suits them, so that I can help them successfully work through the issues and challenges that have brought them to see me.

The Therapy Relationship

I am of the view that the therapeutic relationship (between client and therapist) is key to what makes therapy successful and there is increasing research evidence to support this. Hence, when looking for a therapist, it is important to find the right fit for you - someone you feel comfortable with and who you think you will hopefully be able to trust and open up to over time.

With this in mind, the initial session I have with clients is an assessment session enabling us both to find out a bit about each other and to see if we might be a good fit. At this session I would invite you to tell me a bit about yourself and why you are seeking counselling or psychotherapy and I would gather some background information about you. I would also explain a bit more about how I work and I would invite you to ask me any questions you might have. After that, if you decided you want to proceed, we would then enter into a counselling and psychotherapy contract and begin working together for a period of time.

More About Me & My Background

Prior to becoming a counsellor, psychotherapist and coach I worked as a consultant within the qualitative research industry specialising in brand, advertising and strategy development.

I worked in this field for over 14 years in both the UK and Australia - as an independent consultant with my own limited company, and as an employee (many of those years at director level). In this previous career I worked closely with advertising agencies, marketing companies and senior management in consumer organisations. And I also worked long hours, with lots of travelling and intense deadlines. As a result, I feel I have a good understanding and appreciation of the high stress, high pressure jobs that many people in the business, creative and corporate worlds are faced with and how this can impact on their lives more broadly.

Although I enjoyed my previous career in many ways, I decided to retrain to become a psychotherapist, counsellor and coach a number of years ago because I have always had a deep interest in psychology, and in connecting to and helping others. I believe that fundamentally we all have the potential to heal, grow and positively change, with the right support and guidance. And in my experience, counselling, psychotherapy and coaching have the potential to help us do that.

Additionally, I think we can all benefit from some external support from time to time - whether that is to help us cope with and work through life's challenges, to take some time out to understand ourselves more, or to just have a space to talk and off load with someone empathetic who is not personally invested and caught up in our lives like friends and family.

I am glad that I am able to offer this space to clients and that in my role as a counsellor, psychotherapist and coach, I get to work alongside them to help them achieve them personal goals for therapy. It is a rewarding and enriching job, and one I feel privileged to have.